MELANIN BASE CAMP

Morally, I struggled to tear my focus away from the genocide in Gaza and leave my community to complete my climb. Back home, I’m met with blank stares and confusion — mountaineering being a far cry from what my priorities should be as a single 28-year-old woman. I’ve never been able to explain the passion I feel as I gaze up at the highest peaks in the world.

Community is the backbone of our lives. It’s how we survive, thrive, and build something bigger than ourselves. These three athletes inspire me to chase adventure while staying rooted in the people who make the journey worthwhile.

Stretch meals have nourished my family for generations – even after we no longer depended on them to get by. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother are part of an unbroken line of women dating back centuries who fed their families with love and determination.  

It was at that very moment that I knew climbing wasn’t just a passing interest—it was going to become a much bigger part of my life. I quickly became convinced that no matter where I went or what life threw my way, climbing would always be there. Now, I can’t imagine my life without it. But in all honesty, it hasn’t been easy. So, here are some of my tips and tricks for turning a hobby into a passion… 

As a kid, I loved roller skating and occasionally ventured onto the ice rink at the mall during the winter. Back then, fear wasn’t even a consideration. If I fell, I simply brushed it off and kept going. So why does stepping out of our comfort zones feel so much harder as adults?

Congratulations. You’re taking advantage of cheaper rent by moving into a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. 

Yes, you’re part of the problem. But it’s also all you can afford at the moment. You’re a reluctant gentrifier, actively causing harm but also feeling kinda bad about it. Short of going back to the Midwest or to an overpriced apartment in a different part of town…here are six things you can do to be a better community member now.

Jenny recalled. “We spent so much time together in the car, talking for hours. It was a great way to connect.” Damon agreed, adding, “Outdoor trips gave us a chance to bond in ways that everyday life doesn’t always allow.”

We don’t need cash, we have credit cards and bank accounts, smart phones and mobile payment apps. We don’t need spare change, we aren’t unhoused. So if its not a problem for us, cash free establishments can’t be a problem for anyone else, right?

But ask a New England surfer about the changing seasons. It’s more likely they’ll mark this same passage of time by the thickness of their neoprene wetsuit. They surf year-round, making the most of the sometimes harsh and unforgiving winters. New England surfers simply add millimeters of neoprene the way hikers add base layers. For a lifelong Californian born and raised in “sunny San Diego,” my first winter in Rhode Island was eye opening.